Xi Jinping in New Year’s Eve Speech: China Is ‘Keeper of International Order’

Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping assured listeners in his New Year’s Eve speech that “China has something to say” on international issues in 2018, promising that under his regime, Beijing will be a “keeper of international order.” …

“China will resolutely uphold the authority and status of the United Nations, actively fulfill China’s international obligations and duties, remain firmly committed to China’s pledges to tackle climate change, actively push for the Belt and Road Initiative, and always be a builder of world peace, contributor of global development and keeper of international order.”

Xi’s assertion that China is a “major country” echoes remarks he made during the nation’s Communist Party Congress in October. At that event, Xi stated that the goal of the Communist Party into the next decade and beyond would be to cement its status as the world’s largest power. “It is time for us to take center stage in the world and to make a greater contribution to humankind,” he stated then.